Pieter Aertsen, 'Scenes from the Life of an Unidentified Bishop Saint', about 1560

A bishop in golden robes reaches into his money bag to help the poor. He drops a coin into the bowl of an elderly beggar who leans heavily on crutches. A small child offers support to the old man. They lead a long line of people in need: some hobble on crutches, others wear ragged clothes. One man appears to be blind, guided forward by a woman while he holds his dog on a string. Artists had only recently started depicting guide dogs in the 1500s, making this faithful companion a notable detail in the painting.

The bishop clutches his money bag tightly and does not look at the people he is helping. Instead, he turns away and points to the background, where we can see him in two different moments from his life. On the left in the far distance, the bishop assists a kneeling man, healing his blindness. He may have used saliva and mud as Jesus did when restoring sight to a man born blind (John 9:1–12). On the right in the middle ground, we see a feast under stone arches. Well-dressed people sit around a table while servants bring platters of food. The bishop stands to one side and washes a man’s face with water from a basin. This may show another healing, suggesting the bishop helped people regardless of their social status.

This bishop could be Saint Albinus, who led the church in Angers, France, from 529. People prayed to him especially for eye ailments. The Life of St Albinus by Venantius Fortunatus records several instances when Albinus restored sight like Jesus did in the Gospels. However, none of these accounts describe the same details we see in the three episodes represented in this painting.

This work may date from around 1560, perhaps after Pieter Aertsen moved from Antwerp to Amsterdam. Tax records show he was firmly re-established there by 1557. As one of the most important artists in the Netherlands in the mid-1500s, Aertsen pioneered a new type of painting. He would fill his foregrounds with everyday objects – market goods, kitchen scenes or food displays – while religious stories unfolded in the background. His nephew and pupil Joachim Beuckelaer developed this approach further. One example among many is Beuckelaer’s Air from the Four Elements (National Gallery, London), where a bustling market scene dominates the foreground while the story of the prodigal son from the Gospel of Luke plays out behind.

Aertsen’s painting, however, reverses that formula. Here, the religious story takes centre stage. The bright, clear colours and lively depictions of ordinary people are characteristic of works from this period. The artist plays with space in interesting ways. The three scenes do not connect logically. We are seeing different times and places all at once. Rich reds, golds and greens dominate the foreground figures. In contrast, the background scenes appear in softer pinks and greys. This makes them feel like memories or visions floating behind the main action.